ITIL 4 Series: The latest of the best in IT Management Practices

ITIL is a set of best practices for IT management – a wealth of practical experience summarized into a comprehensive framework. It was created in the 1980s in the UK at the instigation of the government, responding to the growing role of technology in business. Since then, ITIL has established itself as a proven and globally recognized framework for IT Service Management. As part of our series we will introduce you to the basics of ITIL, add some tips on how to put theory into practice straight away, and also introduce you to the authors of the new version through a set of interviews.

Part 1. The Long Road to ITIL® 4 – How the history of ITIL can help us manage IT better

‘To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer,’ they used to say in Britain in the 1980s. The first part of our series brings 5 practical lessons from the history of ITIL. Full article

Part 2. Service Value System - from opportunity to value

Service Value Stream and Service Value Chain are two new concepts coming in with the latest version of ITIL. In the second part of our series, we take a closer look at them. Full article

Part 3. Management Principles - the first section

When we asked the authors of ITIL 4 in our interviews about their favourite section, they were unanimous: the chapter on guiding principles. No wonder, since the guiding principles are perhaps the most practical things you’ll find in the new ITIL. Full article

Part 4. Management Principles - the second section

In the preceding segment, we presented the first four principles, and this time we’ll be looking at the other three; and asking ourselves why it is sometimes difficult to follow straightforward advice. Full article

Part 5. Processes, Practices and Four Dimensions of IT Management

Basic processes such as Incident Management, Change Management or Problem Management can also be found in the fourth edition of ITIL. However, it now makes use of the broader concept of ‘practices’. It’s not just about finding the right sequence of steps and actions. We need to make sure that we have everything at our disposal to add value for the customer. Full article

Part 6. Implementing ITIL 4

Anyone in the IT world will sooner or later come across ITIL. Whether you are a fan of it or not, you have to give it one credit. The fact that we understand each other when we talk about incidents or problems is very much down to ITIL. But how are we to know when it makes sense to our organization to implement it? Full article